


To Take The Time

by shirosteponme



Category: Sarai-ya Goyou | House of Five Leaves
Genre: And Second Time, First Time, M/M, Manga Spoilers, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-09
Updated: 2020-12-09
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:53:29
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27971897
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shirosteponme/pseuds/shirosteponme
Summary: Masa and Yaichi travel west to meet with the other members of the Five Leaves. Yaichi has a lot on his mind; Masa does too. They talk about it, or at least Masa does. Yaichi tries to put things into words.
Relationships: Akitsu Masanosuke/Yaichi | Seinoshin
Comments: 6
Kudos: 16





	To Take The Time

Yaichi didn’t know what to expect when he crossed the bridge, shaking like a stupid toddler trying to walk for the first time; he hasn’t had any expectations at all for what was to happen to him, ever since he’d been taken into the prison anyway. For someone who claims to enjoy the present, his mind has been immersed in nothing but the past as he sat there in that dark room and waited for nothing. 

He certainly hadn’t expected Yagi to come into his musty cell, sake bottle in hand, a strange look on his face; perhaps he was here to offer Yaichi one last drink before putting him out of his misery. But no, Yagi proceeded to tell him about a story about the stupid man they both knew, one who had an irritating habit of sturring up everything around him. 

_ Masa. _

Hearing about Masa bowing his head and begging for Yaichi’s life made Yaichi want to laugh, cry, and vomit all at the same time, more so than the tortures that had been inflicted on him the past few days? Weeks? But Yaichi did not have the energy to muster up a laugh, so he sat there and listened as Yagi’s words rolled over him like stones, grinding the guilt and disgust that lay thick on his skin even deeper into his bones.

Even so, Yagi still wanted to share a drink with him. Even Masa still wanted to save him, this pitiful sack of bones with invisible bloodstains all over its form. 

Funny enough, Yaichi didn’t think about Masa as he was flogged before the crowds of people at the exit gates of Edo. He thought instead about how much he missed having a pipe with good tobacco between his lips, the good burn of the smoke filling the air. He’d much prefer that over the god awful heat of the sun beating down on his skin. 

So of course he was surprised to find Masa at the bottom of the bridge. The giant of a coward seemed even taller than Yaichi remembered. He even had a tiny, ridiculous smile on his face and nothing but a bag and a few hats on his person.  _ You’ve kept me waiting _ , his face seemed to say. 

Yaichi doesn’t know what face to make in return. It seems that in front of Masa it doesn’t matter what face he makes, Masa will still try to peer through it to see the truth that Yaichi has been fighting so desperately to mask. So Yaichi lets his feet stop and his unshaven, bruised face crumple up - how much worse can he humiliate himself in front of Masa anyway.  _ Why are you here _ , he wants to ask,  _ are you not tired of this game? How can you be so stupid? _ “Where is your sword?” 

Masa extends his arm out before he gives a reply. His eyes never stray from Yaichi’s bewildered gaze. An unwavering strength lies behind his stare, a confidence that wasn’t there before. Masa has changed, for better or for worse Yaichi cannot say. It must certainly be for the worse if Masa intends to stay. _ To stay, huh _ . Yaichi could dare to dream of that, to hope for that. 

What little strength Yaichi has left in his legs gives out. Masa is there to catch him before he hits the wooden planks of the bridge. 

… 

Masa’s hands are surprisingly gentle, even if their texture is a tad rough and calloused from holding a blade; no wonder no one ever took him seriously as a ronin. He cups Yaichi’s chin softly, like a craftsman holding up a fine teacup to the sunlight, as he slowly slides the razor blade along the scruffy hairs that have littered Yaichi’s chin. Never once does he cut Yaichi’s skin, nor does it hurt when Masa pulls a comb through the tangles of Yaichi’s ratty silver hair. If Yaichi ever flinches while Masa’s combing, Masa’s hands freeze instantly in place. He slows his pace even further once he resumes his motions, gently untangling the strands until Yaichi can hardly even feel the pull. 

Such gentleness makes Yaichi feel uneasy. How can someone so massive be so soft and attentive is beyond him, especially towards someone as disastrous as himself. Masa was better suited to be around children. He’d make a good father. 

The thought of it makes Yaichi want to wretch, whether from guilt or disgust he doesn’t know. 

…

“We should stay at this inn to rest a few nights Yaichi-dono,” Masa says softly. 

He’s worried about Yaichi’s legs, about making Yaichi walk too far and risk worsening his injuries. Though he doesn’t say it aloud, it’s obvious in the way he glances at the bruises on Yaichi’s legs. When Yaichi makes a soft hissing sound of pain as they make their way through the forest, Masa’s ears even perk up like a dog’s; Masa always suggests they take a break under the shade of a tree along the path heading west. 

Tonight, Yaichi nods silently, thankful that they won’t have to walk for a few days. He crawls into the futon next to Masa’s, laying his body down sideways gingerly; he tried sleeping the first night on his back and woke up to the skin around his scars a fiery red and pulsating with pain. Masa mumbles a good night under his breath before climbing below his covers too, and Yaichi lets out a soft huff in reply. 

“Please wake me if you need anything,” Masa pipes up suddenly. 

Yaichi breathes out a puff of irritated air. “You’ve spent too much time around that brother of yours, there’s no need to baby me as well.” 

That came out meaner than Yaichi intended. 

But Masa doesn’t seem to take it too much to heart. “That’s not true Yaichi-dono, I do not think of you as I do my younger brother.”  _ He really has changed.  _

For some strange reasons Masa’s answer both irritates and excites Yaichi; he’s different from family to Masa. Is he something more? Or something less? Of course he asks. “Then what am I exactly to you Masa?” 

Masa suddenly turns to face Yaichi, catching him by surprise when their eyes suddenly meet. “You’re more important to me than my brother, Yaichi-dono,” He says firmly, but his bottom lip is quivering ever so slightly, only barely visible by the bits of moonlight peeking through the shutters. Is that a slight tinge of pink on his cheek? Yaichi can feel his heartbeat skip a step. 

But he isn’t satisfied yet. “I thought you were working with the Five Leaves just to take care of your precious brother of yours,” he countered, pressing on, pushing Masa further, “Didn’t you give up your inheritance for him after all?” 

“I no longer wish to protect my brother’s future with my efforts,” Masa replied, “I’ve bid him and my family goodbye for good, and now I’m here with you. I now want to protect you with all my efforts, Yaichi-dono.” He’s shifting closer to Yaichi across the futon, his gaze so clearly conveying his feelings that it terrifies Yaichi. 

“You’re a fool,” Yaichi hisses, even if his heart is thrashing wildly in his chest. 

Masa’s eyes suddenly widen. “Were you perhaps afraid Yaichi-dono? Were you afraid that I was going to return home with my brother?” He gasps. Yaichi tries to shake his head to strike the idea down, but he knows that his eyes say otherwise. 

Masa reaches his hand out to lay it gently over Yaichi’s trembling fingertips, giving them a gentle squeeze. “There is no need to fear anymore Yaichi-dono, I’m not going anywhere.” 

“You’re making some big assumptions Masa,” He mutters back. 

But, he doesn’t move his hand away from Masa’s warmth. 

…

It takes Yaichi a couple of days to notice this. 

But, whenever the two of them are walking, Masa always has his arm bent strangely high. The angle between his bicep and forearm forms a near ninety-degree angle, yet he’s holding nothing near his waist to warrant the bent arm. Perhaps it is an old habit of Masa’s from his ronin days, for his swords would hang from his hip at about that spot. He would lose the habit soon enough, once more days had gone by and he grew used to no longer needing to reach for a blade.  _ Excellent work Yaichi _ , he thinks,  _ you’ve gone and saved Masa from elbow joint pain by losing him his position as a ronin. _

“You do realize that you don’t have swords anymore, don’t you Masa?” 

Masa startles at the sudden question and his ears quickly turn a cherry blossom pink. He sighs, “I’m not pretending to hold my swords Yaichi-dono.” 

“Oh?” Yaichi asks, surprised. “Then what exactly are you doing with your elbow sticking out like that?” 

“I thought that if your legs got tired or if you were to trip suddenly, it’d be easier for you to grab onto my elbow to catch yourself,” Masa says sheepishly. Yaichi blinks, utterly dumbfounded. 

And then he lets out a chuckle, his face softening as Masa’s face flushes. “If I were a maiden you would have stolen my heart just then,” Yaichi says teasingly, “Unfortunately I am no fragile lady, I can handle myself just fine Masa.” 

“I see,” Masa mumbles as he nods his head and lets his arm fall loose to his side, “ Understood, Yaichi-dono.” His face seemed just ever so slightly crestfallen, but Yaichi hesitates to comment on it any further. Asking more would only encourage his hopes. He’s already taken too much from Masa to ask for more; what they have now is more than enough. 

But Masa’s expression stirs something in him still, so he gives in and reaches a tentative hand out, catching the bit of fabric hanging from Masa’s sleeve. Masa jolts and opens his mouth to say something, but he decides against it and says nothing. His small smile speaks for itself, making even Yaichi feel embarrassed. 

…

That night, Masa surprises him with sake and tobacco. Where he got together enough money to afford this, Yaichi doesn’t know, but he can’t deny the smile that warms his expression when Masa places the bottle and pipe on the table. 

“I saw them for sale on my way to the market,” Masa mumbles. He scratches at the back of his neck as he stares at Yaichi’s expression. 

“Now you’re certainly courting me Masa,” Yaichi teases, “Showering me with gifts like a rich danna.” 

Masa’s face is scarlet as he tries to deny his intentions, but he’s still terrible at lying. Yaichi can feel his heart thump in his chest; it’s so strange to have such sweet sentiments directed his way. “Thank you Masa,” He says softly.  _ For everything _ . 

“No need to thank me Yaichi-dono,” Masa replies, “I’d do anything for you.” 

Suddenly Masa’s being tugged to the ground and he lands on his back with a hard thump; he cries out in surprise. But his eyes bug out wildly when Yaichi is suddenly on top of him, straddling him with an unreadable expression on his face. 

“You’re unfair, y’know that Masa?” Yaichi mutters. He cups Masa's cheek, rubbing his thumb near his lips.  Masa can’t hear him over the blood roaring in his ear, all he can do is make a blubbering mess of a reply. However, Yaichi doesn’t let him make another sound. 

Masa’s lips are rough and trembling, like a chair with uneven legs, so the kiss feels one-sided, but at least the idiot doesn’t pull away. Yaichi’s breath ghosts over Masa’s burning cheek. “Let me thank you,” he whispers. 

Yaichi presses his lips to Masa’s once more as he rolls his hips forward. He can feel something hard pressing up against his inner thigh and his heart is filled with relief; he’s not the only one excited here. 

“Yaichi-dono,” Masa gasps. 

The hesitation in Masa’s voice gives way to pleasure before too long. 

...

The next morning, Yaichi knows immediately that something is wrong. 

Yaichi is usually the first to rise in the morning and wakes up to just himself in the futon. When he comes downstairs to find breakfast, Masa has already laid it out for him yet he is nowhere to be found. There’s probably a reasonable explanation for Masa’s disappearance but Yaichi can’t help the uneasiness creeping from his stomach to claw its way up into his throat. He had grown used to Masa’s presence, so much so that being alone again raised cold goosebumps on his thin skin. 

But Masa comes tumbling into the room with a sheepish look on his face, unable to make eye contact with Yaichi as he hurriedly explained that he’d gone out to ask for directions to the next town over. Masa, who till now had always been willing to meet Yaichi’s eye, kept his gaze averted even when Yaichi directly addressed him. 

When they start their trek towards the next town, the distance between them feels different from normal. Larger. Masa doesn’t have his elbow bent for Yaichi to hold onto either, instead, his arms are held close to his sides, his shoulders tensed up and close to his ears. Yaichi trails behind him as thoughts swim through his mind, threatening to drown what warmth remained from the night before. 

“Have you had enough?” 

Both Masa and Yaichi are startled by the words that come out of Yaichi’s mouth. 

“Yaichi-dono?” 

Yaichi scoffs. “Back to Yaichi-dono huh, even though you made love to ‘Yaichi’ so passionately last night.” Masa’s face burns as red as apples in the summertime, his eyes darting to anywhere but Yaichi’s own. 

“What did you mean by have I had enough?” Masa asks. 

“You’re different today,” Yaichi says, exasperation high in his voice. 

Masa opens his mouth to protest but Yaichi presses on. “Was last night so awful that you can’t even bear to face me? You know everything about me now, my past, my present, what it’s like to be intimate with me. Am I no longer interesting to you?” 

  
Now that Yaichi’s begun, there is no stopping. “To think that I believed the distance between us had gotten smaller, but now I feel that we are back to where we were before, you feel so distant,” He mutters, “Is there nothing left to Am I the only one who wants to close that gap? Is being my protector enough for you? You said that you think of me differently than you do your brother, but what do you think of me? Do you think of me the same way I do you?” 

“Perhaps it was just me who wanted it,” Yaichi grumbles. He can’t bear to show any more of his shame to Masa and keeps his gaze on the dirt path beneath his feet. 

“You’re wrong Yaichi-dono!” 

Yaichi flinches at the sudden interruption; Masa had never raised his voice at him before. 

“Last night was amazing Yaichi-dono, so much so that I’m embarrassed about how badly I wanted more. It’s not right for me to want more, yet every time I look at you my mind wanders,” Masa says, a funny mix of anger and embarrassment splashed across his face, “I can’t bear to look at you in the eyes or else I’ll keep thinking about it and I’ll completely lose my cool.” 

Strangely enough, it's comforting to hear that Yaichi wasn’t the only one who was afraid to want more. He takes a step closer, closing the distance between them with one long stride, and brings his face just inches away from Masa’s own. 

“Prove it to me. Show me that you want me just as much I want you.” Yaichi’s eyes are adamant, like a wooden pole standing in the riverbed, facing the constant stream of rapid water coming at it. 

Masa grabs Yaichi’s wrist and turns on his heel so fast that Yaichi almost loses his balance. Though Masa’s ears are bright red, the hand gripping Yaichi’s wrist is firm. He tugs Yaichi along the path without another word, not until they’re at the inn and locked away in their room. 

The Masa now is nothing like the Masa of the night before. Hesitancy and gentleness are tossed to the wind as the ties holding Yaichi’s clothes together are pulled apart to give Masa access to everything he’s been desperate to touch, to take in,  _ to savor _ . 

In the brief moments between the fervent fingertips holding his skin and the kisses littered across his mouth, Yaichi is reminded of once, when he caught a servant of his childhood home stealing a ripe peach from the kitchen. It was early in the morning and the servant had hidden behind a tree, eating the peach so hungrily as if they believed it was their last meal on earth. The juices of the peach ran down the man’s arms and were smeared around the edges of his mouth, but in his moment of hunger and need he noticed nothing. The shine in his eyes was unlike anything Yaichi had ever seen before; Yaichi knew nothing of this intense want. 

But the way Masa was in this moment, on top of him, next to him, beside him, inside of him, makes Yaichi feel as if he could begin to understand such a desperate want. He grips onto Masa’s shoulder blades as huffs of breath puff from his lips. Masa slides in and out of him, pressing against where Yaichi feels good over and over without any sign of stopping. 

“M-Masa, slow down,” Yaichi gasps. He can feel the climax coming but he doesn’t want it to end, not yet. 

“I’m sorry Yaichi, but I can’t,” Masa groans, “Not tonight.” 

Masa presses his lips against Yaichi’s and his tongue begs entrance, touching and tasting every inch as his hands grip Yaichi’s hips. He takes each and every soft moan that falls from Yaichi’s lips, responding with gasps and groans of Yaichi’s name like a mantra. It's all so suffocating, but Yaichi revels in the overwhelming feeling surrounding him and filling him. 

_ Had sex always felt so comforting, so kind? _

...

  
  


What feels like an eon of making love passes and finally the two are too tired to go on. Yaichi slumps down against Masa’s chest, breathing heavily with his cheek pressed against the thump of Masa’s heart. He feels Masa’s arm wrap around his shoulder, the musk of sex and Masa’s warmth all around him. 

“Yaichi-dono?” 

“Again with the dono huh? Drop it will you,” Yaichi mutters. His tone is light though, forgiving in light of the lofty feeling in his head. 

“My apologies,” Masa chuckles, “Are you alright?” 

“I’m alright,” He replies softly, “It felt good, Masa.” 

“I’m glad” 

They lay there in silence for a little while longer, before Masa speaks up again. “I apologize for making you worry Yaichi, I did not realize that my actions came across to you that way.” 

He went on, “It was strange to hear you ask me if I felt the same way you do. Before, I never dared to even think about such a question. You were always far from me, all I could do was try to protect you as best that I could.” 

“I’m happy,” He says finally, “that we closed the distance a little.” 

“A little? I can hardly think of what else we could do to know each other even more intimately,” Yaichi teases softly. 

“I’m sure that there’s still more I want to learn about you,” Masa replies, “It’ll take some time though, but we have all the time in the world, if you’d let me stay by your side till then” 

“All the time in the world huh?” Yaichi breathes, even though his chest feels so impossibly full. 

“I want to stay by your side, Yaichi” 

Yaichi squeezes the hand resting on his shoulder; Masa doesn’t flinch at the drop that falls onto his chest. 

“Thank you, Masa” 

**Author's Note:**

> Yes I see myself in Yaichi, and yes I’m in love with Masa. I hope you enjoyed this little collection of moments that I always think about because these two fill my mind 24/7


End file.
